only one thing that betrayed the presence of the marine division of the invaders. To one of the little posts on the landing a piece of rope was tied securely. Inspection of the end showed that the rope had been cut with a sharp knife, a littie more than a foot below the post.

"He's gone, Willie!" Lefty cried. "Listen! Maybe we can hear something."

Faintly, over the water, came a sound of splashing oars, growing ever more distant.

"H-m-m! He can't get away fast enough!" Lefty chuckled. "Say, kid, you had your nerve with you all right to come down here in the dark with me. I noticed that none of the others were specially eager to come."

"I guess the doctor would have gone with you, Lefty, but he did n't know anything about it," Willie made answer. "He and Tad were looking for that other man."

Lefty could hear Willie's teeth chattering now, and his voice trembled as he formed the words, though he tried hard to control it.

“Well, you get the credit, anyhow," Lefty observed approvingly. "I think you deserve promotion, kid. Hereafter, I 'm not going to call you Willie or Cousin Willie. From this time forward, I christen thee Bill !"

Cousin Willie was so overcome that his terror was banished, and he gasped in pleased surprise. This honor meant more to him just then than a doctor's degree, and he felt well repaid for forcing himself to appear courageous at a time when really he was quaking with fear.

"Will you, Lefty?" cried the delighted boy. "I'd like it ever so much if you would; but I 'm afraid I was n't very brave. I was awfully scared coming down here."

"So was I," Lefty cheerfully confessed. "You can't help getting scared sometimes, Bill, but a gritty fellow 'll pull himself together and do what he thinks ought to be done, even if he is scared stiff."

"You said you'd stick to me, Lefty, and I was n't going to have you come down here all alone when I could risk it just as well as you."

"Good for you, Bill! You've made a fine start! You've got all the fellows sitting up and taking notice. Keep it up, and you'll surprise yourself. See if you don't!"

And the boy mentally resolved that he would. Returning to the bungalow, the pair reported the discovery of the rope, and this added a new bit of sensation to the chronicle of the invasion. There was little more sleep in Beaver Camp that night, but the sun rose early, and made the restless period of waiting seem shorter. As soon as it was light enough, the boys explored the

grounds, hoping to find some further clue to the identity of their unbidden guests; but nothing could be discovered except broken pieces of the lantern.

The bright sunlight and the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of early morning in a measure calmed their fears. They began to think that the intruders came with a purpose mischievous rather than malicious. They fancied that possibly the parties responsible for the peculiar appearance of Cjax might have returned to regain the cat and play some further trick on the unsuspecting campers. At any rate, the headlong, precipitate flight of the trespassers proved that they were badly frightened, and the boys believed that they would not soon venture upon property so vigilantly guarded and so noisily protected.

This was the day that had been set apart for work on the athletic field, and, after an early breakfast, the transformation was attempted. It was an ambitious undertaking to convert a rough clearing into a base-ball diamond, with possibilities of basket-ball, tennis, and a running track; but the boys were determined to overcome the natural obstacles, and this seemed to assure

success.

It was hard work-digging, leveling removing rocks and stones, cutting down bushes, and trying with a sickle to get rid of the tall grass. They were glad to stop at half-past ten, and plunge into the lake to cool off, and to gain rest and refreshment from the change in exercise.

They went to work again after dinner, for it seemed as if only a beginning had been made during the morning. Tad and Lefty were excused, having announced their intention of visiting the sawmill at North Rutland to purchase lumber for the benches.

"It 's hot here in the sun," Lefty declared when they were on the main highway. "Let's cut through those woods. It'll be cooler, and it looks as if we'd come out again on the road. See! it bends around just the way the woods run."

Climbing over a rickety rail fence, they entered the woods and walked along in the shade. At first, they tried to keep the road in sight, but finding this difficult, they decided on what was believed to be a parallel course, and held to that. Presently the trees became more scattered, and the boys could see fields beyond. A barbed-wire fence barred their progress now, but they scrambled through, each holding the wires apart for the other to crawl between. Once on the other side, however, no trace of the road was visible.

"Oh, it's just over here a little way," Tad said,

halting and pointing to the right. "I wonder what that thing is over yonder."

Lefty looked at it a minute, then suggested, "Maybe it's a ruined castle, Tad, like those they build on the Rhine to make it romantic."

"Ruined mill, more likely! or maybe the ruins of a fort. You know this is revolutionary country all through here, and that could easily be an old fort, or some such thing. Let's take a look at it." The building in question had been constructed of brick and appeared to have been partially destroyed by fire. Its blackened and crumbling walls and gaping window openings were almost completely covered with ivy, which shielded their bare ugliness, and softened the appearance of extreme desolation.

The boys changed their course and approached the building. Suddenly, a dog sprang out, barking and growling angrily. Close behind him came a man almost as savage in appearance. He held a heavy stick in his hand, and as he approached the boys, he shouted excitedly,

"Get out of here! get out of here!"

CHAPTER IX

AROUND THE CAMP-FIRE AND IN THE

ENEMY'S COUNTRY

THE boys were so startled at the sudden appearance of these savage guardians of the ruins, that they neither moved nor spoke. The dog halted within a yard of their feet, growling in a manner most trying to the nerves, while the man flourished his club wildly, meanwhile shouting commands to leave the premises, and threats of dire vengeance if they presumed to delay their going.

Presently Tad found his voice. "We are trying to reach North Rutland," he said in a pacific tone. "Will you be kind enough to tell us how to reach the road? We seem to have lost our way."

"We did n't know that we were trespassing on your land,” Lefty added. "We got off the road, and now we're trying to get back to it again. We 're not trying to steal your-er-your dog. All we want is to get to North Rutland."

The man looked suspiciously at them, and remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke sharply to the dog, and abruptly turned back toward the ruins, his canine companion reluctantly following.

"Thank you!" Lefty called after him.

The man swung around and strode toward him, while Lefty held his ground and faced him defiantly. When about four feet from the boys, the hermit stopped and raised his club menacingly.

"What did you say?" he snarled angrily.

"I merely desired to assure you of our appreciation of your great kindness in directing us toward North Rutland," Lefty replied calmly. "Not many men, I fear, would have taken so much trouble for strangers."

The hermit stared at him a moment, as if he had failed to understand. Then he pointed toward a fence in the distance, and said roughly:

"See that fence? Just keep following that till you get to the road. Now clear out! If you come sneaking around here again, you'll wish that you'd stayed home!"

"We do now," Lefty muttered.

"And if you tell anybody that you found me here-well, I'll make you wish you 'd kept still. Get along, now!"

"Au revoir," Tad responded, bowing politely. "Very glad to have had the pleasure of meeting you, sir!"

They turned away then, keeping a sharp lookout for the dog, and tried to cross the field at a pace swift enough to be prudent, though not so rapid as to suggest flight.

Several times they looked back, and each time found the monarch of the ruins watching them, the dog, meanwhile, crouched near him. The two figures scarcely moved as long as the boys remained in sight, and they could almost imagine that they still heard the savage growl of the four-footed sentinel.

"Pleasant man to meet," Lefty ventured, after a little.

"Extremely! so amiable and sweet-tempered! But, really, I think he 's crazy, Lefty. That's the reason I spoke gently to him. I've heard that it's better to humor an insane person."

"I don't believe he 's been humored much. He did n't seem specially humorous. Do you think the dog was loony, too?"

"Sure! he had the same wild look in his eyes." "And the same pleasant voice. I don't know what's going to become of us, Tad. We lease a camp, pay our hard-earned ducats in advance for it, and arrive on the spot to find a sign warning us not to land. We arrange to have our stuff lugged over from the railroad station, and lo! it appeareth in the woods. We lay us down in peace to sleep, and behold! stealthy stealers steal stealthily upon us. We go splashing in the lake, and find that Cjax mysteriously cometh among We walk peacefully through the verdant meadows, and a crazy man with a loony dog sort of hints that our presence is undesirable. The strain is awful! and just think-we 've been here only one full day and parts of two others! What will become of us before ten weeks roll around?”

us.

"I can see where we all have to take refuge in a sanatorium," Tad gloomily predicted. "Is n't our life quiet and restful up here? No noise, no excitement, just a peaceful, drowsy, monotonous existence-not!"

After a little, they found that the hermit had correctly informed them, for, by following the fence which he pointed out, they came presently upon the road to North Rutland. The hot after noon sun blazed down upon the highway with almost no shade to relieve the heat, and the light breeze felt like the hot blast of a furnace.

The boys did not feel inclined to hurry, so it was mid-afternoon when they reached the railway-station. Wandering over to the freighthouse, they hailed with delight a dozen long, flat bundles, tied in burlap wrappings and consigned to "THOMAS TOWNSEND, BEAVER CAMP, NORTH RUTLAND, VT." These were the much-desired cots.

Neighbor Pettingill announced his intention of bringing the cots, and the two trunks not yet delivered, over to Beaver Camp the next morning, and they quite easily persuaded him to add to his load such lumber as they would need for half a dozen benches.

Next they visited the sawmill.

"We want board, Tad," Lefty whispered, "but not table-board. Don't let the man get mixed up and charge us for table-board when we want it for benches."

"When you 're buying lumber, you have to plank down your money in advance," Tad responded; and Lefty collapsed.

Having bought their supplies, they prepared to return to Beaver Camp.

"Do you suppose they sell ice-cream or sodawater in this benighted place?" Lefty asked, looking up and down the village street. "I'd like a banana split or a maple-nut frappé."

"Maybe they sell ice-cream at the feed store," Tad responded doubtfully; "but don't go to calling for any of those fancy mixtures. If you do, the natives 'll think you 're trying to make fun of them. Where shall we go-to the tinsmith's or the shoemaker's ?"

There's

"Not much variety to confuse us. only the railway-station, the general store, the sawmill, the feed store, and the two industrious citizens you mentioned. Let 's tackle the general store."

This shop displayed ancient confectionery in a glass case, and sold root-beer, ginger-ale, sarsaparilla, and birch-beer in bottles (eight cents each, and a rebate of two cents for the return of the bottle), but the beverages were not kept on ice, so Tad and Lefty decided to forego them.

Just as they turned away from the counter, two young men entered the store, and the boys had a good view of them. Their clothing and manner betrayed the fact that they were not natives of any farming district. Indeed, they appeared like college students, enjoying a summer holiday.

One of the young men, turning suddenly, discovered the scrutiny of the two boys. For a moment, he appeared startled, then abruptly turned his back and became much interested in the wares displayed for sale.

Tad and Lefty walked slowly out of the door. Once on the piazza, they looked back, and found both youths watching them with very apparent interest.

"Well, I hope they'll know us when they see us again," was Tad's comment, and Lefty responded:

"I wonder how those fellows come into the family. They seemed surprised to see us, and terribly interested in something connected with us. Well, I'm shock-proof, now! Nothing that happens hereafter will upset me in the least. Mysteries are getting to be every-day affairs."

"Maybe that crazy old hermit was one of those fellows in disguise," Tad laughed.

"Sure! maybe the other fellow was the dog!" Several other theories, some more sensible, some equally ridiculous, were advanced during the homeward trip. They discussed the hermit, too, without reaching an agreement as to his sanity. Tad thought him crazy; Lefty believed he was only surly and ugly. Neither had conclusive proof, so each held to his original idea.

They agreed to say nothing about their adventure, except to their fellow-campers, and as it was now close to supper-time, they postponed the recital of their experiences until the big campfire was lighted and all had gathered around it.

Then, with all the dramatic power of which they were capable, Lefty and Tad related their adventures, concluding by telling their companions of the peculiar interest which a certain pair of young men had taken in them, at the general store in North Rutland.

To say that the boys were excited is expressing the situation very conservatively.

"What kind of a dog was it, Lefty?" Charlie asked, after the first torrent of questions and exclamations had spent its force.

Also, I think it was a cross between a wolf and an elephant-very cross, in fact."

"What do you suppose the old fellow does out there in the wilderness?" Walter asked curiously. "Maybe he's one of the witches of 'Macbeth,' and the dog's another."

"Yes, but there were three! Where's the third witch?"

"Considering the dog, had n't we better call at night?" Lefty inquired. "An evening call at nine or ten would be quite dressy. I think we shall find him in, and if he and the dog are asleep, of course we won't be rude enough to disturb them.”

"Why not go to-night?" Tom urged. "We 're all worked up to it now, and if we put it off, likely as not the doctor won't let us go, or some

"I wonder if he really is crazy."

"He certainly acted crazy," Tad affirmed. "He had a wild, vacant look in his eyes, and you ought to have seen how worked up he got when we did n't clear out just as soon as he told us to." "He may be crazy," Lefty admitted; "but it seemed to me that he was more ugly than batty. Perhaps he acted in that wild, loony way just to make us think he had wheels in his head. I believe the old fellow has something out there that he does n't want anybody to see. He keeps this dog-a great, big, savage brute-and it 's not likely that anybody would go near the place while he was around. Perhaps he has a wonderful invention that he 's half crazy about, and does n't want anybody to steal his ideas. That would n't be anything very unusual."

"Sure! he may be building an aëroplane." "That's right! He seemed to go up in the air when he saw us coming."

"I'd like to find out what he 's up to," Jack ventured eagerly. "I wonder if we could coax the dog away, and explore those ruins."

Lefty looked doubtful. "Perhaps you could, but I'm afraid the dog will be a hard animal to coax, Jack. He seems to have very positive ideas-dogged determination, I suppose. If you attempt to persuade him to leave the premises, I advise you to do it by telephone."

"Send him a wireless, Jack," Edgar suggested. "Fling a thought-wave at him."

"Climb up into a tree and make a noise like the bark to attract his attention," Bert added. "Do you suppose he sleeps nights?"

"Maybe he does," Tad replied, "but it would n't surprise me a bit to hear that he walked in his sleep. I'd hate to fall over him in the dark. He has a peevish, fretful manner, and his society would be most unpleasant after such an accident."

"I'd like to have a look at the place," Tom observed. "I'm curious to know what the old fellow is doing out there in the wilderness."

"It's our duty to call on him," Charlie added. "He's one of our neighbors, and we ought to get acquainted with him. I wonder it did n't occur to you to ask him if he had reception days."

start now! it 'll be dark when we get there." "By the way, where is the doctor?" Eliot asked. "I have n't seen him since supper."

"Gone up to see Mrs. Spencer. She sent for him to come at some convenient time, and he lit out as soon as we finished eating. Did n't you notice how he was fixed up? Tell you what! Purple and fine linen are n't in it with the doctor on dress-parade."

"I wish I had a chance," Jack groaned. "All you fellows have your fixings, but my trunk has been gathering dust over there in North Rutland, waiting for Neighbor Pettingill to get ready to bring it over. It's a good thing I had some stuff in my suitcase, or I 'd look like a scarecrow."

"Far be it from me to hint at anything like that," Lefty retorted. "I have wondered why the pretty crows with their musical voices passed us by, but Jack has suggested the reason."

"Crows go for the corn, and we have n't any." "Have n't we? You look in the kitchen closet, Jacko! I saw a whole can of corn on the shelf this afternoon."

"What were you doing in the kitchen closet?" "Oh-er-why, I just looked in to see if there was anything needed in North Rutland; but we 've decided to do our shopping across the lake, hereafter, have n't we, Tad?"

"Sure!" was the good-natured response. "They don't sell ice-cream, or banana splits, or maple-nut frappés, or cantaloup sundaes in North Rutland."

"Of course not!" Tom exclaimed indignantly. "They sell wholesome food, like beans, and flour, and peppermint sticks. You have n't any money to waste on those fizzy things, Tad. You'll need it before the summer is over."

"That's the worst of having a little brother,” Tad complained. "He lets out all the family secrets. Besides, proud critic, I have financial resources that you know not. I have this day sold unto Cousin Willie a two-cent stamp and a postal card, receiving there for three cents in cash," and Tad rattled the coins triumphantly in his pocket.

"Be good and we 'll give you some ice-cream to-morrow," Tom promised. "It'll be the Fourth of July, and we 're going to celebrate."